+1 Great that you're OK and have got through this one in one piece and a lot wiser........... and a great explanation for those not familiar with just how easy it is to do damage to your heart.

Because of my own experiences with heart damage by being stupid enough to think that I could just tough it out and keep up with guys half my age, I now get a bit annoyed when in some topic or other someone gets told to HTFU and to just do it.

i had a family member and a business associate suddenly pass away from heart attacks after cycling. This was something I'd always wondered about but hadn't seen explained previously. Your post has given me a much better understanding of the risk factors facing the older athlete. The information you provided is really important and should be circulated more widely.

For me, it's reinforced some of the rules of good living: - Stay active- Participate- Enjoy good food, good wine and good company- Enjoy all of these in moderation- Listen to your body and do what it tells you.

Last edited by Downhill on Mon May 07, 2012 12:51 am, edited 1 time in total.

Nonetheless, it is possibly the wisest course of action for you to take, to take to heart what happened to Dave, and clean up your diet for 90% of the time. i.e. 9/10 days, eat healthy. Monitor your BP at home. Meditate and manage stressors. Cycling hard is a form of stress. Be sensible about it. If you want to do high intensity, build up to it over many months, and avoid it if fatigued and stressed.

If you want to learn more about cleaning your arteries for longevity, I recommend "Dean Ornish".

You might also engage your GP in a conversation about the prophylactic use of aspirin and statins.

I feel the most important message here is to keep cycling!! Do whatever it is that makes you happy, be it smashing up hills or eating chocolate. The reality is it can happen to ANYONE. Better to just make a few wise choices and be happy, i'm sure being anxious and depressed are risk factors too!

I'm glad you were so lucky, it's GREAT to hear when modern healthcare works like it should. Getting people back out there doing what they love Thanks for sharing a positive story

Dave, thanks for sharing this experience in such detail! Glad to hear you are ok.I am 43 and have been meaning to get a thorough check up...this has given me the necessary "push!" All the best for the future! Dino....

Dave, in all seriousness, I mention the cardiologist/researcher Dean Ornish. His dietary approach is the only one that has proven emphatically that diet can reverse artherosclerosis. Bill Clinton got on the diet after his attack, and went from strength to strength. All the best with it.

I am 48. I am going to get a heart rate monitor to make sure I don't push too hard.Today after 45 km ride I had to stop 1 km from home to throw up.I didn't even feel I pushed that hard today.Will make sure I drink plenty of fluid next time and watch my diet.

PawPaw wrote:Dave, in all seriousness, I mention the cardiologist/researcher Dean Ornish. His dietary approach is the only one that has proven emphatically that diet can reverse artherosclerosis. Bill Clinton got on the diet after his attack, and went from strength to strength. All the best with it.

yep, I'd vouch for John McDougall. Have had his first book since the 80s. Dean Ornish, Caldwell Esselstyn, and several others are in the same camp, which is that a vego diet more heavily based on unprocessed plants is healthier for longevity, especially cardiovascular health.These guys are usually at loggerheads with Lauren Cordain of Paleo Diet fame. However Cordain has argued his case very well. I'm biased towards the vegetarian slant because there's more data to show a health advantage. The Paleo diet trend will need another 30 years to show a benefit greater then a vego or vegan diet.

Hi all, just to give you some insight on my situation. It's not cycling related, but mainly shows that age doesn't discriminate when it comes to heart attacks.

I'm 41 now, but 2 years back (I was 39) i ended up having a heart attack, which resulted in a quadriple bypass. It's only now that I feel as if I'm recovered close to 100% from the operation. I now take blood thinners, cholesterol pills, beta blockers, and other pills which I'll probably have to take for the rest of my life

Mine was mainly caused by heavy smoking, poor diet, and not much physical activity. I've never had high BP, no family history of heart issues, and I wasn't what you would regard as grossly overweight. As with anyone who has a heart attack, I did suffer moderate heart muscle damage, hence getting back on a bike (hadn't ridden for nearly 20 years) to give the ticker a workout and keep that blood flowing

Cardiac rehabs now completed and I've just completed my stress test with flying colours. I went 3min past the requirement for National CAMS License and Commercial Pilot. All good. Cardiologist is very happy with my progress and want me to ramp gradually up to full fitness over the next 3 months.

I feel great and I've learnt a lot in the past 6 weeks at rehab with useful lectures in nutrition, exercise and stress management.

My weight is down and my bloods are all good.

I've been riding my bike for ~ 1 hour a day for the past 6 weeks which has really helped in may ways.

Good to hear Dave. I'd be interested to hear from you which lifestyle changes have been recommended to you. i.e. has your understanding of what constitutes a healthy diet changed, and how are you going about sticking to it?

PawPaw wrote:Good to hear Dave. I'd be interested to hear from you which lifestyle changes have been recommended to you. i.e. has your understanding of what constitutes a healthy diet changed, and how are you going about sticking to it?

PawPaw wrote:Good to hear Dave. I'd be interested to hear from you which lifestyle changes have been recommended to you. i.e. has your understanding of what constitutes a healthy diet changed, and how are you going about sticking to it?

I had a pretty good understanding of a healthy diet before and mostly stuck to it. As I said before my heart attack was not caused by diet or excess plaque. I have learnt how to relax and deal with stress which is probably the biggest factor for me. I've also only had about 3 beers in the past 9 weeks. Don't even feel like one anymore.

PawPaw, the hospital nutritionist mostly offered the obvious standard dietary solutions but you need to bear in mind that most of the people in the group had been living on an unhealthy diet for many years.

The Esseltyn diet is very interesting but I just don't think I can go without meat. I have cut out all fat and gone to even smaller portions. I try to avoid processed food anyway.